“I’m sure she’s around somewhere,” Casper replied then scanned the room as well, paying particular attention to the couples on the dance floor. His brows knitted and a curious look crossed his face. “You know, I haven’t seen Dr. Melbourne recently either. You don’t suppose the two of them--” Casper grinned and suggestively raised his brows.
Kane glared at him, shifted with discomfort, and sneered. “No, I don’t.”
Casper chuckled, humored by Kane’s jealousy over mention of their old professor and his future girlfriend. “I was just kidding. Relax.”
Kane’s mind immediately strayed and he considered the possibility. He knew Selena better than that. She wouldn’t be star struck with someone like Melbourne. He wasn’t even her type. Although, until a few days ago, he didn’t think Tucker was her type either. He suddenly had a compelling urge to find Dr. Melbourne.
Chapter Seventeen
The elegant, old country mansion converted into a bed and breakfast was massive and stunning. Nestled within the remote woodlands, the bed and breakfast had an old-world, country charm with some modern flare to attract wealthier clientele. The wraparound porch was broad and inviting with steps on all sides. Nearly every corner of the property was landscaped with flowers, shrubs, and chubby marble cherubs. Casper sat on one of the elegant rocking chairs while Kane paced the length of the porch. Each time he stepped on the same creaking board, Casper grimaced. The stress of Kane’s task was starting to weigh on him. His entire mission was coming to a head. If he didn’t prevent Hayes’ death, he didn’t have a backup plan. Well, he did have a backup plan, but Casper wasn’t about to let him attempt it. Casper’s endless rocking and relaxed state was bothering him more than the nerve-racking wait for Hayes’ arrival at the inn.
“Tomorrow is the day it all hits the fan,” Casper informed Kane as he lazily rocked in the rocking chair. “You need to get your mind off Selena’s ass and focus on keeping Hayes from hiking that trail tomorrow morning.”
“I have it covered,” Kane replied as he paced. “I’m slipping laxatives into his nightcap.”
Casper tilted his head and appeared curious. “Didn’t we do that in Boy Scouts?”
Kane flashed a sly grin. “Call me sentimental.”
Casper chuckled softly. “Ah, yes, the good old days.” He then resumed his seriousness of the situation surrounding them. “Remember how this works,” he said firmly.
Kane nodded, stopped his pacing, and stared at Casper. “If I keep Hayes away from that rockslide, he won’t die. If he doesn’t die, Riley won’t have any reason to kill Selena five years from now, and I won’t have reason to travel through time. I’ll return to the correct time and have no memory of any of this.” He continued his pacing but remained tense.
“So stop being so uptight and relax.”
He turned toward Casper as every muscle in his body twitched. “I watched her die, Casper. How can I relax? I just want to hold her and tell her I love her, and I can’t even do that.”
“You will--in three years,” Casper announced.
“I don’t want to wait three years,” he muttered.
“Getting in good with Selena is no longer the goal here,” Casper said firmly. “Keep your mind on Hayes. Nothing can happen to him tomorrow. Once you prevent his accident, you’re home free.” There was a slight pause. “And I can go back to dealing with just one of you. You were really crabby about giving me time off for this little fieldtrip, you know.”
“When was I ever crabby about you taking time off?” Kane suddenly asked.
“Seriously?” Casper asked while staring at him. “You hate when I leave you alone with your mother at the store.”
Kane grimaced. “Oh, I forgot,” he muttered. “The dreaded ‘why aren’t you married’ and ‘where are my grandkids’ conversations. She was like a broken record.” He sighed deeply and sank into thought. “She was so excited when Selena and I got engaged. My mother was finally a joy to be around.”
A fairly expensive car drove along the long driveway and approached the inn. Kane and Casper both looked, but the car didn’t belong to Hayes. Once the car parked, Noble, Collin, and Chrissie got out of the car and removed their bags from the trunk. Kane and Casper exchanged looks.
“Did Hayes mention others were coming along?” Casper suddenly asked.
“No, he failed to mention that,” Kane remarked then quickly brushed it aside. “It doesn’t change anything. We’ll continue with the plan.”
“Just more prying eyes,” Casper remarked. “It could make slipping Hayes the laxative a little more complicated.”
“I’ll think of something,” Kane muttered and tried to keep himself from pacing. An alarming thought crossed his mind. “I hope Tucker doesn’t show up.”
“You said Hayes told you he wasn’t invited.”
“That doesn’t mean he won’t show up,” Kane muttered and mentally rolled his eyes at the thought.
They approached the porch with their overnight bags and appeared pleased. Collin politely extended his hand to Kane.
“Hayes didn’t mention he’d invited you and your associate,” Collin announced and immediately looked around with increasing interest. “Is Dr. Melbourne here as well?”
“No, I’m afraid Dr. Melbourne had a lot to do before his upcoming dig in New Mexico,” Kane informed him.
There may have been some truth to that. He didn’t really know, because he never actually asked. Kane had no intentions of inviting Melbourne along. He didn’t need his old, horn dog professor putting the moves on his would-be future girlfriend. It was bad enough his thoughts got the better of him Friday night at the gala when Selena disappeared the rest of the night and no one could find her or Dr. Melbourne. She obviously hadn’t hooked up with his old professor. She wasn’t the ‘one night stand’ kind of girl. Yet the incident still made him crazy. He didn’t understand his newly found jealousy. He’d never been the jealous type before. He was sure it had to do with Selena’s death. It was making him crazy. Not being able to touch her was making him crazy.
“Too bad,” Collin remarked and appeared defeated. “I believe you remember Noble and Chrissie from the fundraiser.”
Kane and Casper politely nodded to them.
“This is my first work-related fieldtrip,” Chrissie announced excitedly while seemingly bouncier than usual. “I was so thrilled that they asked me to come along.”
Collin and Chrissie exchanged smirks that the others didn’t see but Kane immediately noticed. He was almost certain Collin invited her along for a little fun time in the sack. It seemed odd though. They’d never hooked up before; at least Selena never told him she suspected there had been an affair. Being Chrissie was Selena’s best friend, he was positive Selena would have known and told him if that had ever happened.
“Don’t be too excited,” Noble informed her, lacking her enthusiasm. “Once Riley and Hayes establish that there’s something worth our while out there, we’re all hiking out to the site and getting our hands dirty.”
“I don’t mind,” Chrissie replied cheerfully. “I’m away from that front desk for a few days.”
“We should probably check in,” Collin announced and again looked at Chrissie while hiding his lustful smile.
Kane allowed his thoughts to stray. He wondered if Chrissie was given her own room for appearances, or if she was simply shacking up with Collin. If he hadn’t been so familiar with these people in the future, he probably wouldn’t give their private affairs a second thought. It was actually Selena’s fault. She loved sharing work related gossip. It was their evening ritual. His mind once again strayed to Riley and Hayes. Why hadn’t Selena ever mentioned either of them? Sure, they were both out of the picture by the time he started dating Selena, but it almost seemed scandalous, so her silence on what happened to them was curious. Of course, she hadn’t mentioned she’d dated Tucker either. That was actually something she should have shared with him. Was she embarrassed to tell him that she had dated someone
she considered so immoral? He got the distinct impression she never cared for the man, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Kane never cared for Tucker. There was just something sleazy about him. Perhaps he felt that way because he had been correct about Tucker having sexual fantasies about Selena. Maybe Kane’s instincts about people were better than he thought and that’s why he didn’t trust the guy. Another car was heard pulling up the long driveway. All five looked at the approaching car. Kane felt his heart pound in his chest then felt disappointment sweep over him. It again wasn’t Hayes’ car. The expensive BMW pulled up to the inn. Collin and Noble appeared stunned.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Collin muttered.
“What?” Chrissie asked.
“It’s Mercer,” Noble said with a sneer. “Who the hell invited him?”
“This is what happens when the wealthy give large donations,” Collin scoffed with the detest showing on his face. “They expect to be able to play weekend archaeologists.”
“Didn’t I hear Hayes got into it with that guy at the fundraiser?” Kane asked and appeared puzzled. Why would Hayes allow him to come along after what he’d heard happened between them? Large donation aside.
“Some sort of indecent proposal involving Riley,” Chrissie informed him while attempting to hide her grin. Sharing that gossip obviously pleased her in some perverse way. “That’s a huge no-no. Hayes is very protective over her.”
Albert approached the porch while grinning. He wore an expensive suit and shoes to match. He was out of place for the laid-back country inn. A muscular man carried his bags onto the porch behind him. Albert joined them on the porch and grinned while extending his hand to both Noble and Collin. Both men stiffly shook his hand with false smiles plastered on their faces.
“I assume I’m right on time,” Albert announced cheerfully to the others.
“We weren’t aware you were coming at all,” Collin informed him in a halfhearted attempt to sound polite.
“Hayes and I came to an understanding last night,” Albert said then looked at Kane and Casper. He smiled and shook both men’s hands. “Albert Mercer,” he announced cheerfully.
“I’m Kane and this is my associate, Casper,” Kane informed him with little interest either way. Although, he’d probably feel differently had the man offered to pay money to sleep with Selena. That would have gotten him punched.
“Oh, yes,” Albert chirped. “Friends of Dr. Melbourne. What an amazing man.” He then looked behind him and indicated the large, muscular man. “This is my associate, Grier.”
Grier barely managed a disinterested nod. He looked like hired muscle more than an associate. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing regarding the muscular man. Albert made a face and slapped a bug on his arm. He gave the crushed bug a flick with his thick fingers.
“Hmm, didn’t think there’d be so many bugs,” Albert announced with distaste and swatted at another. “We’ll meet you fellas later for drinks.”
Albert entered the inn with Grier following while carrying several bags. Once the door closed, the other men sneered. Noble shook his head.
“You’d swear he’s moving in,” Noble remarked. “And what’s with the hired muscle?”
“This fieldtrip already officially sucks,” Collin announced and headed inside.
Noble and Chrissie followed him. Casper and Kane exchanged looks. Something seemed terribly wrong and both men obviously sensed it.
“I have this strange feeling that Mercer guy wasn’t among the guests in the original version of this little expedition,” Casper remarked.
“I don’t know that any of what happened between Mercer and Hayes originally happened before Melbourne attended the fundraiser,” Kane said with concern and tilted his head. “Do you think it means anything?”
“Nothing that concerns us or our mission, I’m sure,” Casper remarked. “Hayes still dies in that rockslide. If he didn’t, you wouldn’t be here.” Despite his words, Casper no longer appeared convinced. “I just can’t shake this feeling that we caused a nasty little ripple in the timeline.”
“Should we be worried?” Kane suddenly asked while staring at his friend.
Casper appeared deep in thought then looked at Kane and vigorously shook his head. “No, I doubt it,” he replied. “Nothing’s changed.”
A car pulled up to the inn, causing both to look, but it again wasn’t Hayes’ car. Riley and Selena could be seen within the car. Something didn’t seem right. Kane attempted to look calm but found it difficult. So much was riding on tomorrow, and he still couldn’t get Selena’s lack of interest in him out of his head. Selena and Riley got out of the car. Casper and Kane appeared bewildered as the two women approached. Hayes was supposed to be with them, but for some unknown reason he wasn’t. Selena barely acknowledged Casper. Riley smiled at both.
“You guys came up early,” Riley said.
“We wanted to get a good parking space,” Casper teased playfully.
Riley laughed, pleasing Casper. Selena just rolled her eyes. Kane couldn’t be bothered with his friend’s attempts to charm Selena’s future killer.
“Where’s Hayes?” Kane asked, interrupting them.
“Something came up. He’ll be along in the morning,” Riley said with the irritation evident in her tone.
Kane was momentarily horrified by what she told him. That was going to mess up his entire plan for the evening. Hayes wasn’t making saving his life very easy. A thousand different scenarios raced through Kane’s mind.
“Let’s check in. I want to take a hot bath then find the bar,” Selena announced and already appeared bored.
Riley and Selena walked past them and entered the inn. Casper and Kane exchanged concerned looks then followed both women inside. The main lobby of the inn was rustic and lavishly decorated to the point of gaudy. The decorations hanging on the walls and displayed around the room were exquisite, but there were too many of them, giving the room a cluttered feel. Probably the most distracting part of the inn’s feel were the laminated signs on every wall and tabletop indicating what guests shouldn’t be doing. ‘Do not touch’. ‘No long-distance phone calls’. ‘Keep light on’. ‘Keep light off’. ‘For decoration only’. ‘Do not use’. Guests could spend hours just reading signs telling them what they shouldn’t be doing. The check in desk was simple but elegant. Kane was painfully aware that it was neither old nor antique. It wasn’t even a good knock-off considering he spotted it from across the lobby.
The innkeeper was an odd woman in her early forties. Bessie was attractive in her own rights, but her overuse of hairspray and make-up gave her the same cluttered feel as the lobby. Her strawberry blonde hair was obviously dyed and in desperate need of a touchup. Her jewelry was large and clunky with many pieces rattling together with her every movement. The jewelry had an antique look about it, but it also wasn’t antique. She obviously tried to create an old feel to the inn, but she used newer things only meant to look old. For as much as she’d spent on an old feel to her furniture and decorations, she could have bought the real thing. Casper picked up a beverage coaster off the coffee table, showed it to Kane, and grinned while deviously raising his brows. The coaster read, ‘Please use a coaster’. Kane rolled his eyes at Casper’s grin. It was obvious Casper and this woman weren’t going to get along at all.
Chapter Eighteen
All nine guests arrived in the dining room around six o’clock that evening for dinner, which was set up buffet style on the faux antique sideboards. Albert appeared baffled by the concept of buffet style dinner. Perhaps he didn’t understand how anyone would be comfortable getting their own meal and then sitting down at a large table with many others. Casper loaded up his plate with the starchy, home cooking. He was your basic meat-and-potatoes guy, and there was plenty of it. By the time they got their food and headed for the table, Collin and Chrissie were already on either side of Selena. Kane opted for the seat across the table from her. Casper sat to his left. Riley sat on the other sid
e of Casper and immediately joked with him about their twin plates overflowing with homemade gravy. Riley wasn’t shy about her portions either. Albert took the chair on the other side of Riley, which made her slightly uncomfortable. By her reaction, it was almost assumed that Hayes said something to her about Mercer’s proposal.
The dinner conversation naturally revolved around the museum and the success of the fundraiser. Albert appeared smug regarding his large donation, although no one even mentioned it. His hired goon, Grier, offered nothing to the conversation and didn’t even speak throughout dinner. The overall discomfort regarding Albert’s ‘assistant’ was mutual among the others. Selena and Chrissie did a lot of talking about dance clubs. Kane avoided the subject, fearful his age would again come up in the conversation if he had. Riley talked with Casper throughout most of the meal, and he was eating up the attention. Kane picked at his food and remained mostly quiet, since even his friend found engaging conversation without him. By the time dessert was served, the question finally arose.
“So where is Hayes?” Collin finally asked while looking at Riley for an answer.
“Yeah,” Noble announced. “This is his little party. Shouldn’t he be here by now?”
Riley appeared mildly disgusted but managed a smile. “He won’t be here until tomorrow morning,” she announced. “Something came up last minute.”
“Really?” Collin remarked as his brows knitted. “This is the sort of thing he lives for. I can’t believe he’d be late. It’s not like him.”
“I’m sure he has a very good reason for being delayed,” she replied.
“You mean you don’t even know what’s keeping him?” Noble asked while attempting to hold back his mocking grin. “That’s a first.”
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